Apple iPad demand "off the charts", new online orders pushed back

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Apple looks to be out of stock of iPads in the US and struggling to meet demand in the UK for the launch scheduled at the end of the month.

It seems Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, wasn't kidding when on the back of selling 1 million iPad's in the first 28 days after launch in the US said that “Demand continues to exceed supply".

According to Apple's pre-order page in the UK and Europe, customers who've dallied over whether or not to get one, and hoping to avoid having to queue up in stores, will now have to wait until 7 June before the manufacturer will ship them an iPad.

The new shipping date won't affect those that were keen to get in their pre-order when it opened on Monday 10 May, with Pocket-lint readers telling us that Apple has confirmed the 28 May shipping date for the time being.

"Demand for iPad has been off the charts. We are working hard to get iPads into customers' hands as quickly as possible", an Apple spokesperson exclusively told Pocket-lint, before confirming that it will have stock in stores on launch day in store.

However, Apple wouldn't go as far as to say how many each store would be getting, instead suggesting that queuing might be the only way to guarantee one before June if you haven't pre-ordered already.

And if you are hopping a quick trip to the US will ease your delay dilemmas, think again. Apple's US website is citing a 7- to 10-day waiting period for all models (both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi plus 3G) suggesting stock really is tight as it diverts all it has to the nine new countries launching around the world.

We've also got word that the iPads are out of stock in some Apple stores around the US, with the company's flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York turning people away empty handed.